HANGUL Young Miller USC June 24 2012 Hangul the Korean Alphabet Invented by King Sejong in 1443 Phonetic Alphabet 28 letters 17 consonants and 11 vowels at the time of invention Now 24 letters ID: 690370
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Slide1
THE CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC IMPORTANCE OF HANGUL
Young Miller
USC
June 24, 2012Slide2
Hangul
, the Korean Alphabet
Invented by King
Sejong
in 1443.
Phonetic Alphabet.
28 letters, 17 consonants and 11 vowels at the time of invention. Now 24 letters.
Neglected for over 500 years in the shadow of Chinese characters.
Official script of Korea, out of Chinese domination.
Foundation of Korean identity.Slide3
Map of KoreaSlide4
China and the Rest
China – the most advanced and powerful country in ancient times in Asia.
S
urrounding nation states looked up to China.
Korea respected China and adopted Chinese culture and politics as well as Chinese writing system.
Sadae
Juui
– Korean government officials considered China as ‘Superior’ and blindly worshiped anything Chinese.Slide5
Koreans and Korean Language
Korean people spoke Korean, not Chinese.
Korean people wrote in Chinese, not in Korean, because they did not have their own writing system.
Korea adopted Chinese script in the 5
th
century.Chinese script remained the official script of Korea until early 20
th
century.Slide6
King
Sejong
the Great
Inventor of the Korean Alphabet
4
th king of the Yi Dynasty. The only king ever granted the title “the Great
”
Scholar, Humanist, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Advocate.
Motive to Invent the new alphabet: Universal Literacy.
Bibliophile – extensive phonological research.Slide7
King
Sejong
the Great:
The Legacy
Sejong
Cultural CenterSejong Research CenterMoviesTV showsStreets named after him
Currency
, stampsSlide8
A Timeline of Korean History and Writing Systems
Dynasty, culture
Writing system
108 BCE – 313 CE
Old Choson:
100 Chinese Han Colonies
North: Chinese Commanderies (c. 108 BCE – 313 CE)
South: Samhan Federation (c. 100 BCE – c. 280 CE)
Chinese
Ca 50 BCE – 668 CE
Three Kingdoms
Kogoryo (37 BCE – 668 CE)
Paekche (18 BCE – 663 CE)
Silla (57 BCE – 668 CE)
Chinese
Idu(7th C Silla)668 – 936Unified SillaChineseIdu 936 – 1392Koryo DynastyChinese Idu 1392 – 1910Yi Dynasty(Reign of King Sejong: 1418-1450)(Invention of the Korean Alphabet: 1443)Chinese Idu Korean1910 - 1945Japanese Colonial RuleJapanese Hangul Chinese1945 - presentSouth Korea – Hangul -- currently teaches 1,800 Chinese characters. North Korea – Chosono --abolished Chinese characters in 1949. currently teaches 2,000.HangulChosono Slide9
Writing Systems
before the Korean Alphabet
Chinese characters
: 5
th
-current. Upper-class literati, government officials.
Idu
(clerk’s script): 7
th
-19
th
Simplified form of Chinese.
Lower-level government clerks.
Hyang’chal
(local script): 9
th-15th Folk poetry, Hyang-ga.GugyeolSlide10
The Korean Alphabet
Hangul
Hunmin
chongum
(
Correct Sounds for the Instruction of the People
) –
Original name of the new script and handbook
;
Sejong’s
preface states his motive-universal literacy.
Hunmin
chongum
harye
(Explanation of Correct Sounds for the Instruction of the People) – Chong Inji’s postface – justifies the invention of the new script; explains how the new alphabet works.Slide11
Reaction to the new alphabet
Opposition
Literati
Government Officials
Upper-class (
Yangban
)
==================
Sadae
juui
Classical Chinese and Chinese Composition
S
cholarly merit
Acceptance
Women
Children
Lower-classesBuddhists===================Easy-to-learnNo access to learning Chinese scriptSlide12
The Class System of the Yi Dynasty
Class
Writing system
Yangban
(“The Right and Left”)
Scholars
Military
Commanders
Government officials
Chinese
Chung-in
(“The Middle Men”)
Physicians, Inspectors,
Auditors, Translators,
Technicians,
and others
IduSang-in(“The Commoners”)The greater populace,Consisting mainly of farmersilliterateChoun-in(“The Lesser Commoners”)Private and public servants,Professional entertainers,Jesters, butchers, shamans, and othersilliterateSlide13
Different names of the Korean AlphabetSlide14
Comparison
between Hangul and Chinese I
Hangul
24 letters (28 at the time of invention)
Phonetic Alphabet
Simple, easy to learn
Chinese
Over 60,000 characters
Ideographic, pictographic
Cumbersome, complicated, difficult to learnSlide15
Comparison
between
Hangul
and Chinese II
Hangul
: 훈민정음
Chinese:
訓民正音
English:
Hunmin
chongumSlide16
Hangul
:
Foundation of the Korean Identity
Before
Hangul
: culturally and intellectually colonized by China.After
Hangul
: culturally and intellectually independent;
h
igher
level of literacy; higher level of
education.
Tool for true Korean
Literature.
Means of resistance to Japanese Colonial Gov.
Hangul movements- active Study and Research since the early 20
th
century.Slide17
Hangul
– tool for true Koran Literature
Before
Hangul
was created –
only Chinese literature was availableFew had the ability to read and understand Chinese literature
Late 18
th
century, true Korean literature began to appear
More people could enjoy Korean novels and other forms of literature written in
HangulSlide18
Hangul
-Means of Resistance to Japanese Colonial Government
Japan colonized Korea for 36 years, 1910-1945.
Japanese Colonial Government
banned Chinese and Korean scripts.
Forced Koreans to use Japanese only.
The number of
Chinese users decreased
.
The number of
Hangul
users increased
.
Using
Hangul
was considered
patriotic.Slide19
The
Hangul
Movement
in the 20
th
centuryChu Sigyong -- pioneer in the study of Hangul
.
Coined the name ‘
Hangul’
in 1912.
Hangul
means “Korean Writing” (from the
Sinitic
morpheme
han
and the indigenous Korean word
gul
).Many research institutes such as the Korean Language Institute were established to publish Hangul dictionaries and standardize grammar, etc.Slide20
THE INDEPENDENT
the first
Hangul
only newspaper
Created by So
Chaep’il (1866-1951), a leader of patriotic enlightenment movement.Published on April 7, 1896. April 7 is celebrated as Newspaper Day.Chu Sigyong’s
essays on Korean language – calling for the promotion of
Hangul.
Its editorial line became critical of government policies.Slide21
Hangul
today
Completely out of Chinese domination.
Koreans use
Hangul
exclusively; 1,800 Chinese characters taught in schools.One of 10 major languages in the world.Over 750 colleges worldwide offer Hangul classes.Koreans are proud users of
Hangul
.
Koreans feel no association with Chinese characters.Slide22
Korea Today
One of the advanced countries in the world.
One of the highest rate of literacy and education.
Koreans all over the world do well.
Korean government promotes and supports
Hangul education throughout the world.Big name international brands -- Samsung; Hyundai, Kia, LGSlide23
Do Koreans need Chinese characters?
YES – why?
So that the Korean people can read and understand their history and cultural background written in Chinese.
NO – why?
Other than the need to understand old documents, the Korean people do not need to know Chinese characters.